It’s been a busy run for us here, with the PRI Show going on and whatnot, but the regular, boring old news doesn’t stop just because we find a bunch of awesome to report on. While we find everything from badass trucks to the newest parts, others have found…well, see for yourself:

1. Toyota Wants To Re-invent Scion As A Premium-Car Nameplate.

When Scion debuted in 2002, Toyota was absolutely unashamed in just who they were targeting: “Generation Y” individuals who they believed wanted small, sporty and funky little eco-boxes. For a long time the lineup had three cars: the tC coupe, the xB (better known as The Toaster) and the xA, whose shape seemed to have been designed from a fresh pile of dog poo. Other models have been introduced, but Scion’s only bright star as far as this site goes is the FR-S, one of the two Toyota-Subaru RWD coupes.

Apparently selling to a bunch of stylized hipster brats isn’t cutting it, or maybe they figured out that their target market doesn’t have the kind of discretionary spending that was projected in 2002. Either case, Scion hasn’t been doing well. Toyota North America CEO Jim Lentz wants to change that. In an interview with Wards Auto, he said, “I still personally believe small-premium is the direction we should be going. I think that (the) Toyota channel, itself, with vehicles like Yaris and other small, B-platform cars, can handle the lower end of the market. I think that C-platform premium small cars are probably the best place for Scion to be.”

Maybe it’s me, but the last time somebody named Jim put forth this level of effort for such a small reward, a pie was involved. We wish him well.

2. Chevrolet Blackout concept to spawn an Impala Midnight Edition

Unlike other sites, we aren’t going to crap all over the Chevrolet Impala Blackout concept that GM rolled out for SEMA this year. It is what it is, a styling exercise, and GM is well-versed in making the all-black look work for their vehicles. What does bother us about this is that it’s only visual, according to what we can find out so far. This is kind of like the Camry lately, where a solid but boring family sedan looks sporty without bringing much else to the table. Maybe I’m being harsh on the car, but appearances only go so far.

3. The BBC is creating a theme park, and chances are good that Top Gear will have a section. Who wants to ride the Clarkson coaster?

Photo: Jalopnik/Patrick George

A Top Gear amusement park. Hmm…I’m not quite sure how fun the roller coaster will be when you have James May narrating “interesting facts” about the physics of the ride, but apparently this is happening. An agreement between the BBC and London Resort Company Holdings has been reached, and the park is expected to be completed in Kent, England by 2020. If you really want a roller coaster ride that involves Top Gear, however, you can actually go to the Top Gear Test Track and do everything from getting a ride-along with The Stig to turning your own power lap in the Reasonably Priced Car. Other than the airfare to get you over there, having all the fun on the track is probably going to be less expensive anyways. They’ll even give you the footage of you crapping yourself in a Kia to take home. (Top Gear Track Experience Link)

4. An illegally imported Mini got killed off

This one has put people at odds. The Mini, a 2000 model, was imported to the U.S. with the VIN plate from a 1988 model. That’s a couple of big no-no’s in the automotive legal world: nothing younger than 25 years old comes in without a ton of paperwork and red tape, and the other is rebodying a vehicle, an issue normally seen in the restoration world.

On the other end of the coin, you have U.S. Customs and Border Protection filming the destruction of the car and putting it on the Internet in what was viewed as a “gloating” gesture to automotive enthusiasts. You can make your own calls on this…while it sucks that the car hit the scrapyard, it was illegally imported, and the VIN swap is what really did this car in.

5. South Dakota’s Winter Driving Campaign Has Been Pulled

According to the state, it’s about winter driving. I promise.